Van Nuys Rape Suspect Linked to 4 Burglaries

A Van Nuys man arrested for attempted rape early Tuesday is also a suspect in at least four nighttime burglaries in the area, Los Angeles police said.

Nolen E. Frick, 24, was arrested after allegedly threatening a 37-year-old Van Nuys woman with a kitchen knife after he broke into her apartment in the 6500 block of Haskell Avenue, Detective George Salazar said. Frick was captured after police saw him naked on a nearby street, Salazar said.

“He told her that he intended to rape her,” Salazar said. “The victim spoke with him for about half an hour to an hour, persuading him to put the knife down, which he did, and then she asked him to turn off the TV. When he complied, she jumped out of the bed and ran out of the room and shut the door behind her.”

Salazar said Frick climbed out a bedroom window and fled, leaving his clothing and wallet in the woman’s apartment.

Officers patrolling less than a block away saw Frick at 3:15 a.m., attempting to hide behind a tree, and chased him down Haynes Street, Salazar said. They were questioning him when the radio report of the attempted rape was broadcast, he said.

Salazar said Frick matches the description of a burglar who has broken into at least four apartments within a mile of the Haskell Avenue apartment.